A Night at Pastor Matti's Art Exhibition!

Fishers of Men

"Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men." (Luke 5)
I have always thought of this calling as something that I must do in my life. But the Lord has made a way for us in the wilderness where we follow Him and He accomplishes His work through us. Its so great to come back to Turkey knowing God is going to accomplish things through us simply because we are following Him by faith. I'm not a master fisher, but He is making me into one. I have no quota to meet or standard to perform, I just have a promise that the Lord has prepared a table for me! This is what has happened in other places around the world. The voice of God travels across the water where we hear and obey the call to follow Christ. But you can't follow unless you forsake. I can't take the world with me on the mission field. I can't plan my own way through the wilderness. But what I lack, God will supply. So as I walk in faith, Jesus says launch out into the deep. I've never been out in the deep but that's where the hidden treasure is found. Secret places where the Lord has drawn us to learn of Him and pour out our lives to others. I want to live the life of ten men. I know I can when I follow Christ into deep waters. At your word, Lord, we will cast out the nets. Teach us to be fishers of me. I can't teach myself but You have prepared a way to learn of You. That I might decrease and you might increase.
John 3:30, Luke 5:1-12, Matthew 11:27-33, Isaiah 45:3-5

Roger

Pictures and Thoughts from Eurocon '09

The Fellowship was so sweet!

Missions March

Late night Rap at a Turkish restaurant with P.Schaller

This Eurocon was such a huge blessing for Roger and I. There is something really special and unique about going to Eurocon from a missions team. I felt as though every message was speaking directly to me in a brand new way. Each speaker's message connected with the one before, all touching specific issues in my heart.
One of my favorite messages was from Pastor Scibelli about missions (of course). In II Corinthians 2:14-17, it speaks about the nations hearing the Gospel. What I loved about this passage was what is says about our spreading of the Gospel. It says that to some it will be life and to some it will be death - but it will always be a sweet fragrance of Christ to God. I have never read this passage with my own personal call to missions in mind before. When you meet Turkish people, or you are walking past thousands of them on the street, there can be a feeling of helplessness and intimidation. We are such a small team, with such limited resources, and this country is FULL of lost souls. But this passage is such a comfort, and it provides such a divine perspective on it all. If we are called to speak to the nations, then lets do it! The great burden of lost souls is only ours in part. It is God who works in the hearts of people. It is God who performs the work in us! It is God's church He is building. It is God's word that we speak. We have no right to feel inadequate. If God chose us to be His ambassadors, what greater power can we have? What higher calling is there than to be a sweet smelling fragrance of Christ? We do not control who will choose life and who will choose death, but we speak nonetheless and God is pleased with His Son in us.

Austria - Some Action Shots of Roger and I

Innsbruck, Austria

Roger asked me to marry him at this time last year on the top of the Austrian Alps. Now we are back, married and living in Turkey! Its amazing to see where God has taken us since just a year ago. God is so good and we don't deserve any of it...and I'm not just talking about skiing in the Alps!

Grace Face - Oksana

Name: Oksana Lysachenko
Home Church/Nationality: Almaty, Kazakhstan
Encouraged lately by: Pastor Matti's recent blog about tiredness. I felt like it was written about me. Life makes us tired and won't fulfill us - but if we cast our burdens on Christ, life is so full of joy!
Missions vision: that one day my parents would received Christ!
Prayer requests: salvation of my parents, health of my grandmother, and wisdom for all areas of my life.
Greetings to: the team in Istanbul, Liza, Evelina

Grace Face - Akhtam

Name: Akhtam
Home Church/Nationality: Uzbekistan
Encouraged lately by: the Greater Grace church in Samarkand
Missions Vision: to visit the church in Turkey
Prayer Requests: For Uzbekistan and for the salvation of my family
Greetings to: All my brothers and sisters in Christ, Nyazi & Irada, Pastor Schaller, Pastor Scibelli and David Post

All are Welcome!!!!

Man on a Mission!

A Great Sunday in NW China!

This Sunday in NW China was like one I could only dream in heaven about. God is moving in such a way that there is so much freedom and so much joy. It all started with a early morning baptism that was the very first here in NW China for our ministry! I never thought I would be so blessed by being one of the only 4 to be there to witness such a great moment. This was written in the history books in Heaven and on Earth. I believe that not just the angels and all of heaven witnessed this moment but think all the demons of China that had to watch this great moment take place too! Its so clear here that the work of the Lord can not be stopped. Chinese people are coming to Christ at a very dramatic rate. When one person comes to Christ, the whole family comes to Christ. When one business men comes to Christ, all his colleagues come to Christ. There's no stopping the plan of God here!!! Its so evident here in China.
After this great morning, P. Matti met with certain people in the ministry here for one on one counseling that lasted for over 4 hours. As we met with them I had a chance to get to know some of the new people in the church. Then that evening we had a meeting in a beautiful restaurant with our own room and waiters. We spent all night there eating and listening to questions asked to P. Matti by the locals. Its was so cool to hear how they all have the same BOLD vision to see china evangelized and to see churches planted across their country. I've never seen so many people all believing and wanting to see the same thing happen in their own country. Its like the moment a Chinese brother or sister gets saved they turn into this church planting and evangelizing soldier for Christ! Please pray for the work here in NW China and pray that God would lead you here to visit these great people and to see His great work in China!!!

Roger